The scene behind the door was largely the same as in the game, yet there were certain differences; at the very least, the room in the game wasn't as cluttered as the one before him.
Moreover, the room was much more spacious than in the game, spanning at least seventy square meters, with other rooms seemingly connected to it.
Inside the room were rows upon rows of bookshelves filled with various books, some of which were piled on the floor in a completely unorganized fashion.
Faded glintstone crystal shards were scattered across the stone floor, and a box in the corner held a pile of long glintstone crystals emitting a faint blue glow.
Just a glance was enough to tell that the owner of this place had no intention of cleaning; as long as it didn't interfere with work, it was left alone.
How should one put it? This room was exactly like that of a modern-day shut-in, just missing the takeout boxes and stacks of game discs.
Yeah, Teacher Sellen really is a shut-in.
"...Oh, a Tarnished? Such a rare guest."
The owner of the place seemed to have only just noticed someone entering her room. She lifted her head, which was adorned with a glintstone crown, from a square table piled high with books and looked at Xia Yu.
"My name is Sellen. As you can see, I am a sorcerer... So, what is your business?"
Hearing Teacher Sellen's cool voice coming from beneath the glintstone crown, Xia Yu frowned as he surveyed the surroundings once more and spoke.
"Aren't you going to clean your room? This is way too messy."
"..."
Sellen was somewhat speechless; she never expected the first words from the Tarnished before her to be a condemnation of her failure to tidy up.
But this was her room; she could do as she pleased. However, just as the words reached her lips, she suddenly changed her tune.
"A sorcerer's time is precious. Instead of wasting time cleaning, it's better spent researching the mysteries of magic. Judging by your attire, you must be a sorcerer too, so you should understand this principle."
At this moment, Xia Yu was still wearing the starting Astrologer Set, so his identity as a sorcerer was quite easy to recognize.
Hearing Sellen say this, Xia Yu disdainfully kicked a scattered glintstone shard by his feet.
"Sorry, I don't understand. Forget it, I'll clean it up."
Without waiting for Sellen to speak, Xia Yu treated the place as his own room and began tidying up seriously.
He threw the useless glintstone fragments into a box to be disposed of later and picked up the books scattered on the floor one by one, returning them to the empty shelves.
Under Xia Yu's tidying, the originally chaotic room gradually began to take shape, looking like a proper research lab, albeit a bit simple.
A moment later, a refreshed room appeared before them. Xia Yu let out a soft sigh and wiped away non-existent sweat.
"How's that? It looks much better now, doesn't it?"
"Um..." At this point, Sellen didn't know what to say. Even for a Tarnished, this one was too strange.
"Fine, you're right. The room does look much better. I'll... I'll make sure to keep it tidy from now on."
To prevent this strange Tarnished from lecturing her again, Sellen could only say so. However, she didn't care in the slightest; it was her room, and she would arrange it however she liked. After all, this Tarnished couldn't stay here and watch her forever.
"So, what is your business here? You couldn't have come all this way just to help me clean my room."
Hearing Teacher Sellen's inquiry, Xia Yu took a large step forward and spoke as he approached her.
"Hmph, of course I have a request. Don't think my help was free; there's a fee."
"...I didn't ask you to clean."
"I don't care!"
Xia Yu acted like a dead pig unafraid of boiling water, sitting down boldly in a nearby chair. He casually pulled out a magic book, but after a glance, he put it back.
Yeah, he couldn't understand it. Damn it, why didn't he have the Language Proficiency that every transmigrator should have!
Sellen looked at the Tarnished before her, sighed softly, and spoke gently.
"Then what do you want? Don't be too greedy; after all, I am but a wandering witch exiled from the Academy."
"Don't worry, I'm not greedy. Teacher Sellen, I want to learn magic!"
Hearing this, Sellen was slightly stunned, then she spoke to advise him.
"You wish to learn glintstone magic? Judging by the mana within you, you do indeed possess the basic aptitude..."
"However, one must choose their master carefully. I was exiled from the Academy of Raya Lucaria; I am what they call an apostate witch, someone everyone avoids. Even so, do you still insist on becoming my apprentice?"
Hearing Teacher Sellen talk about herself like that, Xia Yu chuckled: "Don't worry, I'm not a good person either. Neither of us are good people, so it's perfect for us to huddle together for warmth."
Hearing the Tarnished say this, Sellen rolled her eyes beneath her mask and advised him once more.
"You must think this through. One must choose their master carefully. Have you truly decided?"
"Coach, I want to learn magic!"
Although she didn't know what the word "coach" meant coming from the Tarnished, his feelings were conveyed; he was serious.
Thinking of this, Sellen's tone softened, tinged with a joy she herself hadn't noticed.
"...Ha, you really are a Monster. Fine, I am willing to take you as my apprentice and teach you glintstone magic. But I am very strict and do not follow a gentle teaching style. Don't regret it."
After saying that, Sellen cleared her throat, adopted a more severe tone, and spoke again.
"Apprentice, the first step is understanding. Though you are already a sorcerer, the field of magic is boundless, and you have only just begun."
"Only by acknowledging your own immaturity can you become a true sorcerer... Let us begin our lesson."
Having said that, Sellen walked to a bookshelf, pulled out a book, and then took out a sheet of paper covered in writing from within it.
"First, take this test. Let me see how your foundation is."
Xia Yu reached out and took the small test paper. As he looked at it, his brow gradually furrowed.
"Apprentice, is there a problem with this test?"
Seeing Xia Yu's brow furrowed, Sellen asked with some concern. She wasn't afraid that he wouldn't understand it at all; after all, he was a sorcerer. Even if he was just starting out, he shouldn't be completely unable to read it.
The questions on it were all written by her, involving a large amount of glintstone magic theory. Generally speaking, anyone who knew magic could understand them.
"Teacher..." Xia Yu looked away from the test paper, his brow tightly knit and his face full of seriousness.
Seeing this, Sellen also became serious. Could there be a problem with this test that she hadn't noticed?
"I'm illiterate..."
"Cough, cough...!"
"Eh, Teacher, why are you coughing? Here, have some water to soothe yourself."
Taking the water Xia Yu handed her, Sellen hurriedly lifted her mask and gulped down several mouthfuls, finally catching her breath.
"Apprentice..." Sellen, having removed her mask, stared at Xia Yu with a somewhat terrifying smile. "It's not nice to play tricks on your teacher."
"Uh... Teacher, I really am illiterate. I lost that part of my memory. After all, I am a Tarnished."
"..."
"Sigh..."
Sellen helplessly massaged her temples and said sorrowfully: "I thought you were just starting to walk, but I didn't expect you couldn't even crawl."
"Apprentice, let's start by learning to read. I hope you won't make things too difficult for your teacher."
Hehe... Teacher Sellen... Hehehe... My Teacher Sellen... I like you so much, Teacher Sellen! For you, I'll cheat on Melina!!! I'm going to be a master-defying apprentice!!!"